'Good Wife' has Fox; 'Game of Thrones' shocking sex

The synopsis for the "Game of Thrones" Season 4, episode 2 reads: "Tyrion lends Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) a hand. Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) and Margaery (Natalie Dormer) host a breakfast. At Dragonstone, Stannis (Stephen Dillane) loses patience with Davos (Liam Cunningham). Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) finds a purpose for his pet. North of the Wall, Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) sees where they must go."

Hal BoedekerStaff writer

The new series keep arriving this weekend, and the most-celebrated dramas enter new phases.

Michael J. Fox is back in a big way on “The Good Wife,” and that’s good, upsetting news. "Wife" has competed with "Game of Thrones" and "The Walking Dead" by offering adult stories and stellar guest stars. "Thrones" has dragons. "Wife" has Fox.

His prickly Louis Canning causes more tensions on the CBS legal drama, which offers five new episodes in a row, starting at 9 p.m. Sunday. The brusque Canning infuriates colleagues by trying to replace the deceased Will Gardner (Josh Charles) at the Lockhart-Gardner firm. ("Wife" is a better showcase for Fox than the NBC sitcom that carries his name.)

With her dry wit and a steady supply of liquor, Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) faces new challenges. The drama explores NSA monitoring of Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) and her Florrick-Agos firm. It’s a timely story as fascinating as any fantasy.

"Wife" keeps lining up compelling guest stars: Nathan Lane and Michael Urie this weekend; Dylan Baker, Jane Alexander and Laura Benanti in the following episode. The show has been at its storytelling best this season with law-firm intrigue, Will's death and Alicia's anguish. Her ultimatum about her marriage was another scorching scene. What season cliffhanger awaits?

Also this weekend, other programs take decidedly different approaches to Easter night programming:

HBO serves up the latest shocks on "Game of Thrones" at 9 p.m. Sunday. Charles Dance continues in stellar form as Tywin Lannister, who sees the most recent crisis in frank, unsentimental terms. Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) gains an impressive champion. Grief gives way to perhaps the most unusual sex scene in TV history. That is not hyperbole, people. It's a twisted shocker, all right.

WGN rolls out "Salem," its drama about witches in 17th century Massachusetts, at 10 p.m. Don't expect "The Crucible." The drama holds that, yes, there were witches. On the vivid menu are sorcery, suffering, saucy sexuality, special effects and the memorable use of a frog. (WGN is owned by Tribune, which also owns the Orlando Sentinel, where there are no special effects.)

But ABC offers a new "Once Upon a Time" at 8 p.m. Sunday. Rose McGowan ("Charmed") guest stars as young Cora, who is hoodwinked by a faux prince and left in a bad way. Cora also has some explaining to do to Regina, whose heart has been stolen. Don't you hate when your heart has been stolen?

Lifetime begins the second season of the sudsy "Devious Maids" at 10 p.m. Sunday. This serial about class warfare features Ana Ortiz, Judy Reyes, Grant Show and the former queen of daytime, Susan Lucci.

Over on AMC, the Revolutionary War continues to unfold with grim violence and twisty espionage in "Turn" at 9 p.m. Sunday. Then "Mad Men" continues its final season at 10 p.m. "Joan is put in an impossibly awkward position," AMC says. She was the most interesting thing in the downbeat season premiere, which moved the show into 1969. The 1960s were tumultuous but fun, although "Mad Men" doesn't seem interested in fun.

ABC looks back to 1956 for the annual broadcast of "The Ten Commandments" at 7 p.m. Saturday. Charlton Heston is an imposing Moses in a gargantuan movie that also features Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson and classic special effects.

If you prefer new drama, BBC America brings on the second season of "Orphan Black" at 9 p.m. Saturday. The best news: Tatiana Maslany continues in one of TV's most challenging roles. She is the show's special effect.